Originally Posted by
swimbody
I think you guys would all agree that if you were to suffer some sort of medical problem in flight as CA on a Mesa flight and that 300 hour FO had to drive the bus home you'd be a little screwed. I think JO's program of bringing in children to assist the captain is the dumbest idea I've ever heard of. I think its criminal to put those lives in danger with someone who has never experienced single pilot IFR (if that's the case, most haven't).
If JO is the reason for their attrition, then some investor is already licking his lips waiting for the kill to take over Mesa. Seems its too good of an opportunity to let the company wither on the vine.
Couldn't agree more. But the low-time FO syndrome is spreading to other regionals as well. Excluding SkyWest and RAH, I'm pretty sure the remainder of regionals are hiring well under 1000TT (seems 600 is what I've been seeing). That's a few hundred hours more of buzzing around the pattern as a CFI, or banner towing, air survey, etc. I'm not sure that would make much of a difference, versus someone with just 300 hours. Far cry from the days when FO's at the regional were hired w/ 2000+ hours, and had significant experience flying single-pilot, hard IMC freight.
I agree with your point completely though. I'll leave the question of low-time versus high-time FO's to someone else.